sbi

According to BBX data, last weekend Japan's largest financial group completed the most important cryptocurrency acquisition, and U.S. bipartisan senators launched a new regulatory offensive against prediction market platforms. The core developments are as follows:SBI Holdings, Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 8473) announced the acquisition of the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank (privately held) for approximately $289 million. After the transaction is completed, SBI's cryptocurrency business will surpass all competitors, creating Japan's largest cryptocurrency exchange. SBI Holdings is one of Japan's largest independent financial services groups, already owning cryptocurrency-friendly network bank SBI Shinsei Bank, cryptocurrency asset custodian SBI Digital Asset Holdings, and multiple Bitcoin mining and cryptocurrency venture capital investments. Bitbank is one of Japan's largest spot BTC exchanges and holds an official cryptocurrency exchange license from the Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan. This acquisition marks a shift for traditional Japanese financial institutions from "strategic trial" in the cryptocurrency sector to "scale acquisition dominance," alongside the joint stablecoin plan of the three major banks: Mitsubishi UFJ ($MUFG), Sumitomo Mitsui ($SMFG), and Mizuho ($MFG) (targeting March 2027), forming the most intensive wave of cryptocurrency layout in Japan's financial industry by 2026.U.S. Senators John Curtis (Republican, Utah) and Adam Schiff (Democrat, California) reported on June 28 that they jointly sent a letter to the CFTC, urging it to conduct a formal investigation into the prediction market platform Polymarket (privately held), citing a "concerning" investigative report regarding Polymarket's "deceptive marketing" practices, which accused it of systematic misleading in user acquisition and risk disclosure. This is the third regulatory offensive against prediction market platforms initiated by Congress this year (previously, the House Oversight Committee launched an insider trading investigation on May 22); the two senators come from different parties, which is significant. For Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ: $HOOD), this investigation poses indirect pressure—Robinhood's prediction market/event contract business (which achieved a record daily trading volume in June) faces the same regulatory qualitative disputes as Polymarket; however, Robinhood's defensive advantage lies in its ongoing application for a CFTC Designated Contract Market (DCM) license, providing a clearer compliance path compared to Polymarket.

According to Nikkei News, SBI Group announced the acquisition of the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank for 46.7 billion yen (approximately 289 million USD). Through this acquisition, SBI's cryptocurrency custody balance is expected to exceed 1 trillion yen (about 6.2 billion USD), making it the largest cryptocurrency business in Japan. A subsidiary of SBI Holdings will acquire shares of Bitbank from individual shareholders, including the founders, in August, and then Bitbank will acquire shares held by existing shareholders Mixi and Ceres by the end of October. Combining the account data from SBI VC Trade (as of April), the total number of accounts after the merger is approximately 2.92 million, with total managed assets of about 1.1 trillion yen. SBI Holdings disclosed in May that it is negotiating capital business cooperation for the subsidiary status of Bitbank.

Japan's financial group SBI Holdings announced the official issuance of the yen stablecoin JPYSC, with the first issuance completed. This stablecoin is managed by SBI Shinsei Trust Bank for reserve asset management, while the licensed cryptocurrency trading platform SBI VC Trade is responsible for circulation and distribution. SBI stated that JPYSC is Japan's first yen stablecoin managed by a trust bank and is also the first to be recognized as a "similar product to electronic payment means" under the Payment Services Act. Unlike the previously launched fund transfer-type stablecoins in Japan, JPYSC is not subject to a single transaction and account balance limit of 1 million yen.SBI expects that JPYSC will attract retail and institutional users with lower transaction costs and the ability to support large transactions, and it can serve as the yen-based asset for on-chain foreign exchange markets, institutional lending, and RWA (real-world asset) tokenized settlements. Currently, JPYSC is only available to SBI VC Trade account holders, with plans to expand its usage after regulatory and tax frameworks are further clarified. SBI also plans to launch JPYSC lending services.In recent years, Japan has been continuously promoting compliant stablecoins to integrate into the mainstream financial system. Following the approval of JPYC in 2025 as Japan's first legally recognized yen stablecoin, Japan's three major banks—Mitsubishi UFJ Bank (MUFG), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), and Mizuho Bank—are also jointly advancing stablecoin projects, with plans to launch commercial trading in the fiscal year 2026.

According to the Nikkei, the SBI Group has obtained approval from the Financial Services Agency of Japan and plans to issue a yen-pegged stablecoin, JPYSC, within this week, becoming the first trust-type stablecoin in Japan.The stablecoin is issued by SBI Shinsei Trust Bank, with SBIVC Trade responsible for trading, and it is jointly developed with Singapore fintech company Startale Group. The SBI Group plans to deeply integrate JPYSC with its financial services, including securities, crypto assets, and banking, to enhance user convenience.

According to CoinPost, SBI Holdings completed a strategic investment in the global stablecoin payment and cryptocurrency trading platform Fasset in May 2026, and announced that its international remittance subsidiary SBI Remit signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Fasset. Both parties will jointly build a next-generation international remittance infrastructure based on stablecoin technology.Fasset is a digital bank focused on the Asian, Middle Eastern, and African markets, providing stablecoin settlement, remittance, and investment services through its own payment network "Own Network." It currently covers 125 countries and regions and has over 2 million users. The company completed a $51 million Series B financing in the same month, with investors including SBI Group, Bahrain asset management company Investcorp, and Turkey's Arz Portföy, among others.

According to CoinDesk, Japan's SBI Shinsei Bank will launch a pilot program on June 10, allowing customers to convert part of their deposit interest into BTC, ETH, or XRP.The plan, titled "Interest Conversion," aims to introduce crypto assets into traditional deposit products, allowing users to gain exposure to cryptocurrencies without directly purchasing them. This initiative will proceed in a small-scale pilot form, with further expansion depending on customer participation and the regulatory environment.

The digital asset trading platform Temple Digital Group has completed a private fundraising round, with SBI Group as the lead investor. The specific amount of financing has not been disclosed. Temple is expanding its product portfolio by introducing new capital and is preparing to go public in a regulated market in the second half of 2026.Previously, it was reported that Temple Digital Group completed a $5 million seed round of financing last October, led by Paper Ventures.

According to CoinDesk, Los Angeles-based stablecoin-driven digital bank Fasset announced the completion of a $51 million Series B financing round, with investors including Japan's SBI Group, Investcorp, and Turkish asset management company Arz Portföy. The valuation for this round has not been disclosed.Fasset covers over 50 payment channels across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East through stablecoin technology, serving over 1,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in 125 countries, with an annual transaction volume exceeding $32 billion. The company plans to use the funds from this round to expand into new markets, develop loan and trade financing products, and expand its proprietary stablecoin payment and custody infrastructure "Own Network." Additionally, Fasset has recently partnered with Tether, the issuer of USDT, to launch a gold-backed digital bank card.

Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings has begun negotiations to acquire shares in the cryptocurrency exchange platform Bitbank, aiming to turn it into a consolidated subsidiary. SBI Chairman and President Yoshitaka Kitao stated that the company has submitted a letter of intent for the acquisition and has started discussions with Bitbank regarding capital and business cooperation. The specific timing and structure of the acquisition will be determined after due diligence and internal procedures are completed.Bitbank is one of Japan's major domestic cryptocurrency exchange platforms and has not experienced any hacking incidents since its establishment in 2014, with security as its core selling point. As cryptocurrency assets are gradually incorporated into Japan's Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, SBI believes that integrating Bitbank into the group will enhance its position in the Japanese cryptocurrency market. This move comes as SBI continues to consolidate its cryptocurrency exchange platform SBI VC Trade. Last month, SBI incorporated another exchange platform, Bitpoint Japan, into this department to streamline operations and improve profitability.Earlier this week, Bitbank also launched Japan's first credit card linked to cryptocurrency assets, allowing users to pay bills using assets like Bitcoin based on their exchange holdings, and offering a 0.5% cashback on cryptocurrency asset spending.

According to CoinDesk, SBI Ripple Asia has completed the development of a token issuance platform based on the XRP Ledger and has registered as a prepaid payment tool issuer in Japan. Corporate users can now issue tokenized payment tools through this platform.

According to The Block, B2C2, a liquidity provider under SBI Holdings, has designated Solana as the primary network for large stablecoin settlements for its institutional clients. B2C2 provides market-making services for platforms such as Robinhood and collaborates with Standard Chartered, Anchorage Digital, Bitget, and others.The company will prioritize supporting stablecoins issued on Solana, including USDC, USDT, PYUSD, USDG, USD1, EURC, FDUSD, and other new varieties in the future. The report noted that Solana has seen an increase in activity for stablecoin settlements recently, with stablecoin trading volume reaching approximately $650 billion in February, but its stablecoin market capitalization still significantly lags behind Ethereum and Tron.

Japanese Web3 infrastructure company Startale announced that SBI has invested $50 million in it, while completing a $63 million Series A funding round. The two companies are focusing on tokenized securities, stablecoins, and consumer chain products in Japan.Startale Group CEO Sota Watanabe stated, "Through deep cooperation with SBI, we will accelerate the adoption of tokenized stocks centered around the Japanese stock market and yen stablecoins this year."

Web3 API platform Uniblock has completed a $5.2 million financing round, bringing the total financing amount to $7.5 million, with investors including SBI, AllianceDAO, BFF, NGC, and others.Previously, Web3 API platform Uniblock announced the completion of a $2.3 million financing round, with participants including Cadenza, Blockchain Founders Fund, Side Door Ventures, AQN, Serafund, Outsider Ventures, and others.

According to BBX data, yesterday global listed companies showed a significant shift in the expansion of crypto treasuries from "mining industry competition" to "traditional industrial/financial giants entering the market":$100 million spot purchase: Bitdeer (NASDAQ: $BTDR) approved the allocation of $100 million in cash yesterday to purchase Bitcoin as a strategic reserve over the next two quarters.¥10 billion special fund: SBI Holdings (TSE: 8473) announced the establishment of a special fund of ¥1 billion (approximately $67 million) for corporate crypto treasuries, aimed at providing Bitcoin allocation consulting and custody services for Japanese manufacturing companies.10% gold asset swap: Metals One PLC (LSE: $MET1) disclosed its treasury reform plan, intending to swap 10% of its gold reserves for Bitcoin, citing "BTC showing better liquidity premium in 2026."100% output retention: Digihost (NASDAQ: $DGHI) confirmed that its Bitcoin output from February to mid-March has achieved 100% retention. Through energy cost optimization, the company currently does not need to sell any BTC to cover all operating expenses.25% profit conversion: Banxa (TSX-V: $BNXA) announced that it will directly convert 25% of its net profit for the first quarter of 2026 into Bitcoin, establishing a "profit-driven" financial tone for increasing holdings.

According to Cointelegraph, SBI VC Trade, a digital asset division of SBI Holdings, announced that it will launch USDC lending services in Japan on Thursday, allowing retail users to lend stablecoins to the platform under fixed-term agreements in exchange for returns.SBI stated that the product is intended to replace traditional dollar deposits in Japan, but unlike bank deposits, its isolation protection measures do not cover user assets and may not allow for full recovery in the event of bankruptcy.Additionally, users cannot withdraw or transfer funds during the fixed loan term, which limits their ability to respond to market changes.

Japan's financial group SBI Holdings and Startale Group announced the launch of the yen stablecoin JPYSC, aimed at institutional and cross-border payment scenarios.The stablecoin is issued and managed in trust by SBI Shinsei Trust Bank, complying with Japan's digital asset regulatory framework. SBI's trading platform, SBI VC Trade, will serve as the main distribution channel, while Startale is responsible for technical development. Both parties stated that the trust bank support model helps enhance governance and compliance assurance, promotes the use of the yen in the digital financial system, and provides a compliant alternative to the currently dollar-dominated stablecoin market. The project is expected to go live in the second quarter of this year after obtaining regulatory approval. In recent years, Japan has been actively advancing the construction of a stablecoin system. The revision of the Payment Services Act in 2022 defined fiat-backed stablecoins as "electronic payment instruments"; last October, Japan approved the issuance of the yen stablecoin JPYC. The three major banks MUFG, SMBC, and Mizuho have also launched pilot projects for stablecoins and tokenized deposits.

According to Jin Ten, Fed's Goolsbee stated that it is still too early to bet that increased productivity can lower inflation, and that it is only appropriate to cut interest rates when inflation decreases. He expects that there may be a rate cut this year, but only if inflation returns to the Fed's target level. Goolsbee pointed out that it is unclear whether current interest rates are restrictive, and caution is needed, as cutting rates too early may lead to an overheating economy.

According to CoinDesk, Japan's SBI Holdings has announced the launch of an on-chain bond issuance plan worth 10 billion yen (approximately 64.5 million USD).According to the disclosed information, the bond will complete the issuance and management process on-chain, and investors will receive XRP as a reward in addition to the regular returns. This move marks a further exploration by traditional financial institutions into blockchain bonds and digital asset incentive mechanisms.

According to Cointelegraph, Japan's financial group SBI Holdings plans to acquire a majority stake in the Singaporean cryptocurrency exchange Coinhako to further deepen its layout in the cryptocurrency field.The announcement stated that SBI Holdings' wholly-owned subsidiary SBI Ventures Asset has signed a letter of intent with Coinhako's parent company Holdbuild to inject capital into Coinhako and acquire shares from existing investors.If the transaction is completed, SBI Holdings will obtain a majority stake in Coinhako, making Coinhako a consolidated subsidiary; however, the transaction is still subject to regulatory approval. The financial terms and ownership details of the acquisition have not been disclosed, and the investment structure and share purchase plan are still under discussion. This non-binding transaction will allow SBI to obtain a legitimate license in Singapore, which is one of Asia's major regulated cryptocurrency hubs.

According to market news, Japan's financial group SBI Holdings announced that its subsidiary plans to acquire a majority stake in the Singapore digital asset trading platform Coinhako, pending regulatory approval.The transaction includes providing investment capital and purchasing shares from existing shareholders. Coinhako holds a license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and is regulated by the British Virgin Islands, having operated in the digital asset space for over a decade. The acquisition aims to integrate Coinhako's infrastructure with SBI's global financial network to develop a digital asset ecosystem in Asia. An SBI representative stated that this move aligns with its strategy to expand digital asset infrastructure and develop next-generation financial services.Coinhako CEO Yusho Liu stated that the company plans to enhance its infrastructure to meet the growing demand for tokenized assets and stablecoins, while Singapore will continue to serve as a key hub.